• At a Glance: Pack your bags for Pittsburgh. The Canadiens have once again avoided elimination in the 2010 NHL playoffs and have forced a Game 7 in their Eastern Conference semifinal against the Penguins with a 4-3 win on Monday night. Michael Cammalleri scored a pair of goals, one only 1:13 into the game and another to tie the game 2-2 midway through the second period. Cammalleri now has 11 goals in the playoffs to lead all scorers. Jaroslav Spacek, playing his first game in several weeks, gave Montreal a 3-2 lead with a shot from the point that got past Marc-André Fleury. Maxim Lapierre scored the eventual winning goal 11 minutes into the third on a great invididual play where he carried the puck into the zone, fought off a defender along the boards and took it to the net, slipping it past Fleury. The Penguins got goals from Sidney Crosby, his first of the series, and by Kris Letang on the power play. Bill Guerin made things interesting by scoring with 1:24 to play, but the Canadiens withstood the final Pittsburgh push to hold on for the win. Jaroslav Halak would probably like a second chance on the Letang goal, but he was spectacular the rest of the game, making 34 saves.

• Key Moments: During a TV timeout after Cammalleri’s second goal, the fans at the Bell Centre gave the Canadiens a two-minute standing ovation that had the players standing in awe, surely an inspiration for the remainder of the game.

• What It Means: The Canadiens have avoided eliminiation once again in the 2010 NHL playoffs and levelled their best-of-seven series with the Penguins at 3-3.

• What’s Next: The series deciding Game 7 will be played Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, with the winner going to the Eastern Conference final and the other side heading home for the summer.

The hockey players of today especially stars like Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin and others always whine. I mean it’s hockey, don’t they realize contact is allowed. Back when Lafleur, Shutt, Perrault, Dionne was playing you never saw any of that crap.

They went out played the game took the hit, sucked it up and continued on. Now it seems like after every whistle, especially in this series, I have never seen so much whinning in one series as I have seen the Penguins do. Everything from a hit to a face-off, to someone yapping back and forth, they turn to the ref for everything.

They may be defending champs, but they don’t act like ones. They act as though everything should go their way and that they are untouchables. I thought that Crosby might be a bit different than the others, but he is just as bad or worse. I have lost a little respect for Crosby.

To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high.

A good start but they’re sagging a bit and they have to come back in the second with more juice. I wish someone would stick a cork in that whining POS Crosby…..he’s even got Cooke whining to the refs too…wow!!

Habs are in for a fight tonight. The big man’s (Gill) presence blocking shots and moving bodies in the front of the net will be missed. Best defence is offence. They have to keep counterattacking. Discipline!!!!

Camm’s goal was awesome. More please. Every time MAB is on the ice, I feel sick. Go Habs Go!

AK made a bad pass at his own blue line but redeems himself with some furious back checking. After the ensuing face off he races up the ice on a 3 on 2 and makes a beautiful pass to Cammy for our second goal.

Excellent points. We have no one but the officials to blame who allow this crap and don’t call unsportsmanlike conduct more often. That whining and complaining rings constantly in the minds of the refs and they are ‘seduced’ to make questionable calls as we have seen especially throughout this series.

Weird, I’m also heading to Vegas tomorrow. I’m told I should watch the game at New York, New York’s sports book. I’ve been excited about putting some money on game 7 for a week now. If they win, I’ll be the guy buying drinks for everybody.

No doubt, you would be correct in saying that. I can’t see PK not being the captain of this team at some point down the road, just not in the next 3-5 years, until the contracts Cammy and the guys expires. Then the team will see in which direction it wants to go.

To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high.

Here’s a clip that shows Crosby take a (two-handed) crosscheck at Pleky (look in the bottom right at the 0:53 second mark) after the final horn sounded. Ya think he’s frustrated? And guess what? Hal Gill is coming back Sidney!

OK AM GONNA GET SOME 3 HOURS SLEEP AND THEN GOING TO WORK – ITS 5 IN THE MORNING HERE

This is from the time when Jaro was the backup – he said: He believe to be the number 1 someday… When they asked him if he would be happy when traded to Chicago – he said he wants to fight for the chance to be the n.1 here in Montreal…

If Pouliot makes a mistake, he gets benched. With SK not dressed Pouliot is the new whipping boy. We are winning despite mediocre to brutal coaching. No one can play their best hockey under those circumstances. Lapierre took a stupid penalty 200 feet from his own net. We weathered the ensuing storm. Lapierre was lucky that he didn’t get a second stupid penalty for a high stick. He wasn’t benched and he overcame his mistakes. The coach starts Darche on the first line and Moen on the 4th and then moves Moen to the first line and Darche to the bench. Metropolit sits for no reason. It’s good that the team isn’t struggling like the coach.

Now to business… I’ve loved the habs my entire life, and me and my pals have a dream we want to accomplish this summer, this dream, is simple, yet, so totally awesome! We are throwing a bbq in the honor of Kirk Muller(we really love that guy, a childhood hero for many of us) and we need all of the support possible to make this dream come true!!!

Please join our facebook group, and if, by some stretch of reality someone on this board happens to know Kirk, or someone that does, PLEASE, at the very least, help us let him know how much we love him and want him to come have a bbq with us this summer!!!

What do we do with the guys that show big flashes of potential but aren’t consistent? Ie. Lappy, Andrei, Pouliot.. Not sure how much time to give these guys. On another note, great game boys! Tommy Pyatt has been a huge help to this team, his legs never stop moving.

I don’t know if anyone else saw this, but at the end of the game, on the Versus feed, Gionta, being the class act that he is, extends his hand to help pick up Malkin from the ice, and Malkin slaps Gionta’s hand away. What a chump!

Did Pouliot play? I remember seeing him in the first for 1 maybe 2 shifts and then he seemed to dissapear. I got to give credit to AK46 tonight, he at least gave a much better effort. He hit hard and set up Cammy on that 2nd goal in the second period. He finished the game with 2 assists.

To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high.

Well, a long-time Habs fan & a Don fan since his first broadcast, it’s a fallacy to say Don doesn’t like the Habs. Remember, he’s no nobody: Don coached 2 Stanley Finals against them, and he is close friends with many of our Greats from those days. For instance, he almost never missed a chance to praise Koivu going back many years, & Patrick Roy is one of his all-time hockey heroes.

Don is a real (larger-than-life) person — he has two favourite teams, and he roots for them, and having lost against the Habs, he can hardly not have some attitude toward them! He has some mild anti-francophone prejudice (while loving many individual francophone players — Vincent LeCavalier is his favourite player of the last decade, e.g., & he hardly loves Sid the Whiny Kid.)

Lappy has been great all playoffs, although this was probably his best game. AK46 played fantastic tonight. Pouliot has been a disappointment, but it’s his first playoffs….Cammy only had one goal in the playoffs last year, so I wouldn’t sell him down the river yet

I said he had 2 assists if you were to read the complete post. The assist he got was for knocking the puck away from the Pens player, he never did pass it, if you were looking. Cammy picked it up passed to Pleks who passed it back to Cammy and bang in the net.

So maybe you should be watching.

To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high.

Jaro Spacek: what a return! Out for more than a month, and he comes back and plays a brilliant game, just as he did against the Caps. Clearly he was tired in the final weeks of the season, and this time-off due to the virus may have been a blessing in disguise.

Jaro Halak: what more can be said. It was always noted how confident the team plays when he is in nets, and you could really see it again tonight. Those timely big saves when the tide was turning. He is truly having a playoff run for the ages.

PK & the PK: can he really be only 21. The way he battled behind the net with Crosby was absolutely heroic. And you can tell he’s holding back just a bit on those up-ice rushes, afraid of getting caught. Just imagine once he is fully confident. He may well become the new Bobby Orr/Paul Coffey. The only thing that would have made this night better would have been if he had dropped the gloves with Cooke there in the third period and laid him out cold, Kane-style. And the other “PK” surely must now be considered the league’s best. Pleks is playing like a Selke trophy candidate.

Speaking of Pleks, notice how much more of a threat he becomes offensively when AK decides to play? Andrei’s best game since the hat-trick. Sure, still the weak turnover in our end, but he made up for it, and then some, with sweet passes and big hits. He is incredibly solid on his skates — almost impossible to knock over. I was waiting for him to test that Pens D by going wide on them and then cutting in, but he chose to look for the passes, which considering the way Pleks and Cammy were playing, ain’t a bad thing.

JM continues to confound me with his decisions, and the head-scratcher tonight was Darche on the Gomez line. Moen is a much better choice, or even Pyatt. Clearly Pouliot is not resurrecting his game this spring. He is in a complete fog out there.

And what can you say about Moore and Laps? That is the grinder line we’ve needed all season. They, along with Cammy’s goals and Jaro’s goaltending, were to me the difference in this game. The Pens could not contend with them deep in their end. During the season when so many were vilifying him, I was one (to immodestly slap myself on the back) who defended Laps, because I knew there is a huge offensive upside to him. He may be a prick, but he is a relentless one who is hard to stop when he wants to bring the puck out from behind the twine.

So, no HNIC, this team is not just Jaro Halak. This is, quite simply put, A TEAM. Hal G. will be back next game, and who knows, maybe even a brace-wearing Markov. Either way, we’ll be a nightmare for the Pens and their moronic fans Wednesday night.

What a game, I can barely wait for Wednesday! Was anybody a little bit concerned about Halak in the beginning? He seemed to fight the puck in some situations, but responded once again after that second goal.

Gomez missing those empty nets had me screaming at my walls there, but he sure has Playoffs written on his forehead.

Can’t help but chuckle everytime I hear Jaro Spacek in those interviews, he sure has a funny voice.

I have not commented for a few months.However it is nice to see that reason in the front office of the Montreal Canadiens prevailed.When Gainey was about to trade Halak for a second round pick from Chicago he was summarily dismisssed.(Dont believe for 1 second that he just happened to quit in the middle of the year).

Fans should know that the main reason the Canadiens are where they are is because of Halak.Months ago i explained that he was probably in the top 5 goalies in the world.I was wrong.He is in the top 2,with his .934 save percentage in the playoffs #1;and his insane 53 stop performance against Washington probably THE best 1 game playoff performance EVER by a goalie.

Patrick Roy stated that Halak has done things he could never do(rebound from being pulled etc).

Game 7 and wether the Canadiens win will be determined by 2 key factors.1)Martin has now begun to realize that Montreal CAN compete on an offensive level with Pittsburgh.If we attack and keep the play in their end we have the speed to get back on defense.This was clearly demonstarted in tonights game and in the series as a whole as we have out scored Pittsburgh 11-6 at even strength.This has occurred as a direct result of PK Subbans great ability at moving the puck out of our zone.(29 ninutes of ice time tonight means even JM understands this).

2)Control the Pittsburgh Point especially Gonchar who has a great ability to score from the point.Control Malkin and crosby-keep them outside(easier said than done-but it has been done so far) and you win-simple!

3) Its better to die like a hero than as a coward.ATTACK THE PITTSBURGH ZONE!!!!!!! Watching Lapierre come out from the corner to the front reminded me of the Rocket who would do this routinely.Way to go Max!Keep it up. I hate to say this,but it still appears that players born here and playing for the Canadiens are able to raise their game to an unheard of level!!!

C’mon yourself ;–) That’s less than helpful. I’d love to know your insights on Pouliot’s play, first. Second, thinking Bob resigned over Halak is tin-foil-hat — heck, worse, it’s “9-11 was an inside job” level kookiness. Right off the start (& even to begin explaining is to give the idea unwarranted credence), no way in Hell Bob trades anyone over JM’s objections….

How? Gainey never liked Halak and hardly gave him a chance. It’s not a secret that he wanted to trade Halak away regardless of the impact on the team or to his reputation.

Price was a higher draft choice and Gainey was too stubborn to accept the reality that Price was simply never as good as Halak and he was always waiting for Price’s play to pick up such that he would be vindicated.

It takes a great man to admit when you make a mistake, Gainey was never man enough to admit that he made a mistake by signing Price for big $$$ and almost letting Halak slip away.

This type of post is exactly why conspiracy theories exist. They provide such wonderful amusement for those of us who enjoy fiction, action-adventure and comedy all wrapped together in a fine book or film.

That’s tinfoil hat territory discussing that Gainey talking about a potential trade with another team (Which was Philly btw, to break up his conspiracy rant) was the reason he stepped down. Gainey at one point considered a trade with Tampa that involved sending PRICE to the Sunshine State in a Lecavalier deal. Believe it not, GMs consider and discuss trades year-round, most of which never come to anything and we mere hockey fans don’t know **** about, especially most of the details.

Gripe, moan, construct elaborate conspiracies as much as you like, this is a Gainey team that’s winning through the playoffs right now. Dealing Huet not only meant that Gainey was confident Price could start in nets in 07-08, it also meant he knew Jaro Halak had NHL-calibre ability in him and could backup Price at the time when Price was playing at his best. So talk about the evil Gainey being forced out so that the valiant Halak could win now, but Gainey drafted him, signed him, moved him through the development system and held on to him all the way to this point and selected a head coach (who I admit I’m not a big fan of) who wisely played his goalies and used Halak to get the team to where it is now. To think that a veteran coach of JM’s experience would come to Montreal and take daily orders from Gainey on who is in nets… you’ve got a tinfoil hat scraping the ceiling.

Looks like the current schedule might actually be working in our favor for a change: If we win on Wednesday and the Bruins-Flyers series goes to game 7 we’d actually have some extra rest for the conference finals.

Even if the Bruins win on Wednesday, at least they wouldn’t have any more rest than us (and it did not look like this when they were ahead 3-0).

Your point is well put but its wrong IMO If you think that a GM will stand put while the coach he hired goes against him and makes him look bad happens, then theres no arguing…But this is not a time to argue. Go habs go!

I was at the game last night – what an experience. I have been a Habs fan for half a century – never have I been prouder of a team for its heart , grit , and effort.

The crowd was fantastic ( although I am not a big fan of the Crosby sucks chant).

I have to laugh at those who still bash Bob Gainey. He built a team with heart. There would never have been any doubt about making the playoffs this year if Markov ( and the others ) hadn’t missed extended periods of time. Gomez , Giunta, Moen, Gill and Cammy are warriors. There is a nucleus to build a winning atmosphere for years. For those that laughed at the smurfs – who is laughing now?

Give me abreak. Gainey tried to trade Price in Sept and the NHL blocked the move. Gainey built this team, thank the man.

And Patrick Roy, Ken Dryden and Scotty Bowman also said the Price is the future. So who do you believe?

Halak is a good goalie, if he had any rebound control at all I’d be his biggest fan but he doesn’t. 36 shots on goal last night, that could have been cut in half if he’s just freeze the puck. I thank Halak for every game he helps win, he’s a good goalie, but I see no future in him. I guess my dislike for him started in December with the Alan Walsh poking fun at playing Price and loosing, then the Halak “play me or trade me”. I have zero respect for players like that.

The Canadiens won last night because the they out played the Pens, and our pucks hit the back of the net instead of Fluery in the beak. Game 5 could have been the same outcome, but we missed the chances.

how strange we win and the main topic of conversation becomes Gainey. that’s the spell the man has over this organization. if anyone notices the cameras follow him around, the man has just as influence in this organization has he once had. amazing how “all credit” does not go his way, every move made on this current team has his name all over it. amazing how his “flutey” success would be percieved as some is haunting the junior followers of the montreal canadiens on this site. well done Bob and team.

You have zero respect for players that actually want to earn their paycheck? Seriously, play me or trade me… What do you want as back-up? Some one that wants to play or would you rather have the guy that is happy playing second fiddle…You can bet that Price isn’t happy about sitting on the bench, that’s why he is working hard in practice..(not saying that he wouldn’t anyway, just I bet he is working just a bit harder now)..

Funny how Gainey didn’t accomplish anything worthy of credit during his long reign in Montreal, eh? In fact, the more Gainey was involved, the worse the results, such as last year’s playoff run when Gainey was GM and coach.

Then Gainey leaves (or is forced to leave?) and the team actually starts winning for a change and has a nice playoff run and then all of a sudden the credit should go to Gainey? Give me a break!

Giving Halak the #1 position is one of the reasons we are where we are. There’s no way we take out Washington or get to a game 7 with Pittsburgh with Price in nets!!! I would fault Gainey for bringing Price up to soon and using him way to often. Overall I think Gainey was a great GM and did a lot of good things. It’s a lot tougher in the new NHL and no GM is perfect.

SWEET a response from Bugs. I’ve read many of your posts and have no interest in a back and forth with you Bugs, my vocabulay can’t keep up and I truly respect your opinions. I may have worded my post wrong Bugsy although I thought it was clear that I was in the group who KNOWS we are Canada’s team 100%, I simply find it comical that there are people out there who don’t see it. Thats all.

Wow…to all the Hab fans at the Bell last night that ovation was AMAZING!! After Cammi scored #2 you literally blew the roof off the joint. No boos (except to pens) and drowning out the goal announcer was perfect. I love this team GO HABS GO!!!

Hamilton just won to advance to the Western Confernece final, with a team that Bob Gainey put together. We just defeated the President’s Cup winner and are now on the brink of eliminating the reigning Stanley Cup champions, on a team Bob Gainey put together and all you can do is spout negative loser trash talk.

Why don’t you get it over with and get on the Brian Burke Loser leaf band wagon.

Gainey has been in the press box every game, sitting next to Gauthier… so he’s still involved. As a matter of fact, he did a genius move. He moved away from the spotlight, away of the pressure of the media and the fans… but he still runs part of the show behind the curtain…

He made a lot of mistakes? yes, but he also made some nice moves. This team is his team.

Of course there is no argument about Gainey as a player, I think every Habs fan can be proud of his accomplishments in that area and rightly so. As a manager he was average at best with his ups and downs that every GM before him had as well. As a coach, I think there is also no argument given how we performed with him during last year’s playoff run.

My main issue on this subject is that people try to credit the current run exclusively to Gainey, thereby discrediting the players’ ability to exceed everyone’s expectations on their own. Gainey, too, made good and bad decisions during his reign and he was here long enough without standing out in any particular way. Of course

Gainey can be called many things, but he was certainly no visionary who had this Stanley Cup run all planned out at the beginning of the season. (If he did, rest assured that he would not have thrown the towel mid-season.) Obviously he had some influence on signing most of the players in the current roster, after all that was his job for several years. However, let’s not forget that he exercised the same tasks for almost 20 years and only has one Stanley Cup victory to show for.

Its funny how in Montreal the cheers for a strong shift, big hit, good pk etc. far outweigh the cheers for a goal in any other barn and yet somehow we aren’t Canada’s team….the people who believe that are only kidding themselves aka make belief fans

No offense but your disrespect for Mr Bob Gainey in a lot of your posts makes me question how big of a fan you really are. Enough with the Gainey bashing please and if you insist on doing so please actually look into what he has done for this franchise as a whole, player, manager, and coach. Bob, as well as any other GM has had a few blunders or mis-steps over his tenure but has also taken this franchise back to respectability. As a player there is no explanation needed, as a manager I think he has done a very good job bringing in some decent prospects (Halak included) and when he did take over as coach last year I think he did a very good job at assesing what this team was lacking and addressing it in the off season. I respect how you feel regarding the goaltending situation but please stop bashing one of our hall of famers who has dedicated much of his life to our Habs.

Assembling a team is no guarantee for success. Gainey has been assembling teams for almost 20 years and only got one Stanley Cup to show for, so it would seem that there are other factors involved beyond Gainey’s control or influence.

It’s easy to come after the fact and proclaim that the success was due to the assembly of the team, however Gainey’s record (overall and as GM in Montreal) speaks for itself as to how likely that is.

Obviously Gainey is responsible for signing most players in the current roster (just as he was for many of the other players that failed miserably during last year’s playoffs), that does not mean that he is exclusively responsible for the success that these players can achieve even after he is gone.

I just don’t what to say but THANK YOU HABS!! I know it aint over yet either but I am so glad for this season! My wife is now an avid Habs fan, she never could understand why I get so upset and so happy some nights, Now I see her throwing pillows at the TV bitching at the Refs! A poor girl who grew up from the Philippine Islands and my 3 year old son are now a part of the Habs Experience!! Heres to the Boys!!!!!

Got to say i thoroughly like seeing the A on Gorges jersey, give him a C. That guy is the definition of heart. Not bad for a “throw in” player in the Rivet deal. Same goes for Pyatt. What more can i say about him. One of the hardest workers i have ever seen.

My only question is the benching of Metropolit. He can help as he is pretty dominant downlow despite his size. Did he injure his shoulder again because i do not think i saw him since first period on. Anyways i am so proud of this team no matter waht happens on Wed. GO HABS GO

You know what I think? I think that when Gainey
blew up this team and rebuilt the core last summer, size was a critical
component in his choice of players. Not height or weight, he only judged
the size of the heart.

This goes for Gill, too. He may have the
height and weight, but Bob chose him for the size of his heart because
it’s as big as Moen’s, Spacek’s, Gionta’s, Gomez’s, and Cammy’s.

“My main issue on this subject is that people try to credit the current run exclusively to Gainey, thereby discrediting the players’ ability to exceed everyone’s expectations on their own.”

I don’t think everyone is crediting it exclusively to Gainey, but a lot of these players wouldn’t not be Habs without him. He had guts to dismantle a team that he spent five years building, and then brought in the players we are enjoying watching this year.

Argue all you want about Price, but the fact is, he, for the most part; is largely responsible for assembling this team. If he doesn’t bring them in, there is no players exceeding expectations.

Scott Burnside; ESPN: “…And so, we return to Pittsburgh for one final, improbable contest,
just as we returned to Washington two weeks ago for one final,
improbable contest. For much of this Canadiens journey, we have waited
for reality, the sound of the pin popping the balloon. Maybe it happens
in Game 7 on Wednesday, or maybe this is what destiny looks like up
close.

But no one in the Canadiens’ room is pinching himself at
this stage.

“No, not at all. For us, it is the reality,”
Cammalleri said. “If you pinch yourself, you are beat. I remember when
you first come into the league, if you start sitting around and staring
in awe and catching flies, you’ll be out pretty quick.

“Now,
we belong and we’re having fun. Now, we have an opportunity to go knock
these guys off in Game 7, so let’s go enjoy it.” “

To all the unprofessional, borderline moronic producers who really think that sending a reporter out into a MOB of ecstatic hooligans and turning on a LIVE camera is a GOOD idea, I have a little message for yehs:

…

Thanks for the laughs.

Superfluously redundant, I remain

L.Bugs Potter, esq. Assistant-Director of St-Habbie’s Hospital for the Blind, Head Physician of Neuroflannelogy Unit, and Occupational Therapist in Habsbros Emergency Ward: http://habsbros.blogspot.com/

If you mean Bob Gainey handled the Halak/Price situation perfectly by resigning, I guess I agree, but that seems kinda harsh. Otherwise, he didn’t “handle it perfectly” at all, Couver, c’mon. Couver? C’mon.

Poolio must like the taste of bubbles, I dunno. Who am I to question the taste of bubble-lovers? I can’t answer that.

Superfluously redundant, I remain

L.Bugs Potter, esq. Assistant-Director of St-Habbie’s Hospital for the Blind, Head Physician of Neuroflannelogy Unit, and Occupational Therapist in Habsbros Emergency Ward: http://habsbros.blogspot.com/

In the interest of full dsclosure I am a Bruins season ticket holder and a life long Montreal hater. With that said ( I cant beleive I am sayng this) I hope you guys win tomorrow night. At the end of the day it is about the competition and the Candainas have really competed hard this post season and I respect that. You should all be proud of this team . It would be nice to see a Bruins – Canadian Conference final. That would be something. Well we will see tomorrow night . Best of luck.

Can’t afford the tickets and also live nowhere near Montreal, but have certainly enjoyed the rivalry over the years. What a tribute to Orr, one of my favourite non-Habs. So, tell me, what do you think of Grapes? While he does some good things (recognition of the troups) and I agree with some of the stuff he says (nobody can disagree with everything you say), he irks me. I think he’s hung around the corner long enough and it’s time to move on. Ditto on the luck thing (can’t stand the Flyers).

Once again G-Man Gorges played awesome, can’t wait to have Gill back, although the rest of the D did step up! Spacek didn’t miss a beat. AK had a great game finishing his checks and assisting on goals. Lapierre continues to be on fire and PK Subban is exciting to watch! Heart-Attack Halak continues to be strong. Great team effort!!!

I have to say…..The damn Refs did all they could to see us try to lose!! Halak is a Slovakian Zebra killer!! Halak may have been the best he has been so far this year. It is tough to say but he is a beast! This guy is going places, or hopefully just staying in MTL!! I am so happy for the boys, no matter what happens wednesday I am damn proud!!

I’ve loved this team for a long time, and have praised Gainey’s summer moves. I hope everyone sees that some moves that do not look great Day 1 sometimes look great when it matters most.

This team was built for exactly what we’re seeing right now. Many of you will say the team is not all that good. Take away Halak and the Habs go nowhere. Halak has been great, no doubt, but this team would not have done this well with Halak alone. There are many key players, most notably the whole defense and #13. But even that’s not fair. Moore, Pyatt, Lapierre and others have played important roles.

Halak & Cammalleri are the main characters in this story, but even they’d tell you they would be nothing without the supporting cast.

No matter what happens Wednesday, I love this team…and it’s only getting better.

I praise Gainey’s departure from the team which enabled this great playoff run in the first place !!! In fact, Gainey’s departure is the best thing that could ever happen to the habs since it unleashed their true potential and allowed the team to bounce back from years of poor management/coaching decisions.

Under Gainey, Halak would be either nothing more than a backup goalie in favor of Gainey’s favorite son or he would already have been traded away.

In fact, Gainey is probably sitting somewhere and scratching his marshmallow head, wondering why his superstar goalie is being benched while his backup goalie is stealing the show.

At least Plex is getting 20 minutes a game unlike Pouliot (minus 1) who JM nailed to the bench after he coughed up the puck which led to the Pens 1st goal. If anyone should be getting ragged on its Pouliot. Plex made that great pass for the 1st goal.

On the sixth day, the Lord didth say “Thou shalt kick all sorts of Penguin azz and find thyself blessed.” And yea, for his Word was made manifest onto this earth. “May the might of a Cammy one-timer be driven unto Sid’s face with maximum velocity and thou shalt feel My love.” And though this did not come to pass, the Eternal’s love was felt anyway.

And His spirit with it.

A-smurfin-men.

Superfluously redundant, I remain

L.Bugs Potter, esq. Assistant-Director of St-Habbie’s Hospital for the Blind, Head Physician of Neuroflannelogy Unit, and Occupational Therapist in Habsbros Emergency Ward: http://habsbros.blogspot.com/

How many stinking times are the Habs going to get these damn too many men penalties??? They seem to get 1 or 2 a game. Can’t the coaches figure out how to change lines without screwing it up? There’s too little margin for error against teams like Pittsburgh to keep giving them powerplays for no good reason. It figures, just as I finish this up, the Pens score.

Gainey built this team and this is exactly what he built and what he saw. It takes a big man to admit mistakes, and you are obviously not a big man. We were not suppose to make the playoffs…even with crushing, unheard of injuries we did. We weren’t supposed to win a game against Washington…we beat them out. We weren’t supposed to have a chance again Pittsburgh…we are in game 7. Yes, GAINEY’S team did this.

Now, can we please get back to enjoying the win by this team….this team that has the most heart we have seen in 15 years.

This team would be nothing without the guys gainey brought in this season. Whether he made a mistake on the goalies or not doesn’t change the fact that he got Gomez, Gionta, Cammalleri, Gill, Spacek, etc, etc.

The fact that you focus on the goalie is laughable. Price may well still be the future and to think that believing in him was wrong shows how blind you are.

It takes more to winning playoff games than just buying players. Gainey bought many players while he was in charge in Montreal, yet we never got as far as now with him. Heck, last year Gainey had absolute power as a GM and a coach and we were swept away in round 1. Now Gainey is out and we are finally winning again.

Bob Gainey was one of the best players to ever wear the tricolour. He is a gentleman who has endured more than his share of personal tragedy. He assembled this team by bringing us Gomez, Gionta, Cammelleri, Moen, Spacek, and Gill. And he’s in the GM box, next to Gauthier, enjoying the fruits of his creativity.

I really like Don Cherry. His teams were always my favorite as they over acheived and played hard every single night. Rarely can I say I saw that team take a night off. Hey it was different game in the 60’s and 70’s . Guys had to bring it every night or they might get sent down. Now it is tough to move players with salary cap and frankly it is tough to expect guys to play at 100 % for every game. Cherry was great though he would always say to his teams that the paying customer deserved a good effort as they paid their hard earn dough to see game. Crap I left Bruins Flyers game Monday after second period. I had enough. If they didn’t feel like showing up for watever reason I was going to go home and get proper sleep. I hadn’t done that in 20 years. In any event good luck tonight. It is really astounding to see the amount of hard core Bruins fans that are roting for Montreal. Each comment is prefaces by “I cant beleive I am saying this” but I am rooting for Montreal. I do not think it is entirely motivated by fans wanting to avoid Pittsburg more so a respect for Montreal’s effort.

What’s sad is that your statement isn’t an exaggeration at all. How do these officials not get tired of his nonsense and tell him to shut his trap? I’ve never seen one player yap at them and show them up so much without getting an unsportsmanlike penalty.